Jason Gay: The Sochi Olympics and the Power of Michael Sam

Sochi, Russia–I heard about Michael Sam just minutes after arriving in Sochi’s airport on Monday afternoon. Which had a nice energy to it, considering that these Winter Olympics are taking place in a country which has shown itself to be hostile to gay people, to the point that it passed a law prohibiting “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” around minors, a discriminatory act that undermined these Games before they even began. There has been speculation about which Olympic athlete or athletes might mount some kind of protest against this dubious law—maybe in an arena; or better yet, on a podium—and if that moment would become a beacon for gay people around the world.

And that might very well happen here, in the mountains, or alongside the Black Sea. But as Sunday gave way to Monday, the spotlight shined on Sam, a senior defensive lineman from the University of Missouri and an NFL prospect who announced in a series of interviews that he is gay. The defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference—the fillet of college football, just ask SEC fans—Sam recorded 11 1/2 sacks this season. He is a very good football player from a very good football team, and if he is drafted by an NFL club this May, he will become the first openly gay player in the league.

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